1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

mischievous

adjective

ˈmis-chə-vəs How to pronounce mischievous (audio)
Definition of mischievousnext
1
as in wicked
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness the children had been so mischievous that we had to pay the babysitter extra and then clean up the mess

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in naughty
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior punished for their mischievous tricks on the neighbors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dangerous
causing or capable of causing harm mischievous gossip that ruined a good teacher's reputation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mischievous Reports from across the UK show the mischievous character lurking outside windows and startling passersby. — Gina Park, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026 For the kooky, mischievous and not-often-sober Shifty Gruff, Sheen was always the number one choice. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026 Louis, age 8, has earned a reputation as the most mischievous of the Wales children. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 11 Aug. 2026 The stories feature the titular George, a mischievous, tailless, almost-always-smiling monkey exploring New York City, and his human companion, the Man in the Yellow Hat. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mischievous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mischievous
  1. wicked
  2. naughty
  3. dangerous
  4. playful
  5. bad
  6. harmful
  7. impish
  8. adverse
Adjective
  • After crash landing on the dark world directly onto the homing beacon, EO and his crazy crew are apprehended by a gang of warrior henchmen and hauled into the throne room to face the wicked alien ruler who is imprisoned in anger and hate.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Our only recent point of reference for a 'flying' car is the BYD Yangwang U9 which managed a 20-ft leap over spikes last year, enabled by a wicked active suspension system.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of wicked
Adjective
  • Romantic, criminal and naughty hijinks ensue and bonds are tested — and ultimately reinforced.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Queen Elizabeth—long known as a lover of horses—was a frequent recipient of the pony’s naughty side, like in 2017, when Corporal Cruachan attempted to take a bite of the flowers the queen was holding during a visit to Stirling Castle.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of naughty
Adjective
  • The most dangerous place on the field in the third quarter was your own 38 yard line!
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • ShotSpotter offers targeted detection of a dangerous event versus technology like Flock's indiscriminate collection of innocent people's movements.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of dangerous
Adjective
  • The Moon enters Capricorn and your playful 5th house, inviting you toward hobbies, romance, creativity, and pleasure.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The shoe was elevated by a heel with a crystal cube design at the base, contributing a sense of glamour and a playful geometric aesthetic.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of playful
Adjective
  • The term, once confined to technical science papers, has gripped Silicon Valley, steered trillions of dollars in investment and fanned fears of human displacement, or worse.
    — George Musser, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026
  • That’s cool that people (liked it), but that’s bad ball security.
    — Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of bad
Adjective
  • Unresolved issues run the gamut, from antitrust protections to chip export controls to whether existing consumer laws are sufficient to protect people from harmful AI.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • For example, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed multiple AI bills into law, including Adam's Law, which requires AI chatbot makers to protect minors from harmful interactions.
    — Lora Kolodny,Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of harmful
Adjective
  • In a sprightly performance rife with oddball mannerisms, Gnecco gives Borges equal parts impish wisdom, earthy vulgarity and childlike wonder, rarely letting a moment’s silence go unfilled with eager chatter.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Ahead of the comedy’s second season, FX brought on Danny DeVito to play Dennis and Dee’s impish, absentee businessman father, Frank, in hopes that his presence would bring in more viewers.
    — Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of impish
Adjective
  • The Ukraine international forward last played a competitive match for Chelsea in November 2024, and has been suspended under anti-doping rules after an adverse finding in a urine sample.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, she was given a spate of different medications over a matter of months to treat her symptoms or the adverse reactions to some of the medications.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of adverse

Browse Nearby Words

mischiefs
mischievous
mischievousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mischievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mischievous. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All